A Systematic Review of Evaluated Labor Market Initiatives Addressing Precarious Employment: Findings and Public Health Implications

Precarious employment (PE) is a major determinant of population health and contributor to health and social inequities. The purpose of this article is to synthesize and critically appraise available evidence on labor market initiatives addressing PE identified through a systematic review. Of the 21 initiatives reviewed, grouped into four categories-labor market policies, legislation, and reforms; union strategies; apprenticeships and other youth programs; social protection programs-10 showed consistently positive outcomes and 11 a combination of negative, mixed, or inconclusive outcomes. In addition to reviewing the key findings, we discuss public health implications and recommendations related to PE and the implementation and evaluation of initiatives. Given the wide diversity of initiatives, implementation approaches, evaluation methods, and socioeconomic and historical contexts characterizing the labor markets of the countries studied, we refrain from making recommendations regarding the most effective initiatives to address PE. Instead, we discuss several implications concerning the four types of initiatives to further support those searching for solutions to address PE. We strongly recommend tailoring adopted initiatives to local contexts to match a country's specific PE problems and unique labor market and socioeconomic context.